Exploring the World of Buzz

Keeping a blog has let me explore the topic of buzz and word of mouth marketing. Instead of just writing a paper on the subject, I was able to track and discover developments in the world of buzz marketing, which is very active right now. Through doing so, I’ve realized word of mouth is everywhere, it is natural, and it is part of everything we do-if you like something you tell someone, it’s that simple. Through these past weeks I have learned a lot about the topic and seen how it relates to the world of media planning, buying, and advertising in general.
At the start of my blog I began with educational posts, then I got more into examining current events and what agencies were doing to handle the word of mouth surrounding their brands. One current controversy surrounding buzz marketing involves disclosure. Many in the business fell to be truly successful in using buzz marketing to promote your products, the consumers should be informed that they are being exposed to such and should not be tricked by other consumers that are being paid to push products on them. There is also a lot of talk surrounding buzz marketing in regards to its age and development. Many marketers are seeing the success of word of mouth marketing practices and starting to work tactics into their marketing plan. But many experts are saying this in nothing new, as word of mouth is just something that happens, even without ad dollars being spent to speed it up. One question is why marketers are just now catching on to this fact.
One thing I definitely learned while keeping this blog was that there really is a lot of growth in the area of buzz marketing, as a lot of companies are developing to try to take advantage of this natural occurrence. There is BzzAgent, Vocal Point, Tremor, Picture Marketing, Squidoo, M80, and so many others. Companies are developing just to help others with spreading word of mouth, while older companies are now trying to develop their own buzz components. Even BzzAgent, which used to just provide a service has become a viable media channel, teaming up with companies like Hershey’s to execute large portions of their media plan.
In much of my posts I wrote about word of mouth spreading without the assistance of any marketers. Word of mouth surrounding a product, service or brand is natural and happens regardless of whether or not a company has any control over it. In one post I discussed the buzz around the Volkswagen television advertisement and how VW in getting twice what they paid for-they paid for the commercial but now are getting the benefit of the commercial as well as the benefit of people talking about the commercial and spreading word about the brand. The same can be said for the KFC “subliminal” ad which got so many people talking, visiting the company’s website and trying the sandwich.
Other posts looked at word of mouth as it is harnessed and used by brands. M80, which targets fans to help promote bands and products, and Vocal Point, a program created by Proctor and Gamble to get moms to spread buzz are two such companies. Both have realized that a few words go a long way in the world of marketing, perhaps farther than any ad can go and have decided to use this knowledge to facilitate consumers in spreading the word about new products amongst themselves.
I found it very interesting that Carmex, the lip balm that has been around for decades and has only ever relied on natural word of mouth spreading is now jumping on the advertising bandwagon. The brand has seen such success without ever advertising so it will be interesting to see if the new ads bring extra sales as the company is hoping or whether they actually damage the brand image. Carmex is one great example of how successful word of mouth can be in helping to sell a product and how successful word of mouth can be when marketers don’t even spend a penny on spreading it.
Another component of the world of advertising that is tied in with buzz marketing is relationship marketing. Everyone in the industry knows that in order to make and keep a loyal customer you must go the extra mile to create a relationship with them. Picture marketing is one company that has done just so, working the actual consumer into the product message through pictures. Consumers are more likely to talk about a product if they feel involved in it and the company has taken the time to make it worth their wild. After all, buzz marketing is really about the people, for the people, by the people. This brings up the “Buzz-o-phone” that I wrote about in a previous post, describing how people could call a toll free number to talk about whatever they wanted for two minutes. The creator hoped this would let consumers voice their opinions about products because it is such an easy way to be heard. Buzz and word of mouth really is this simple, letting the consumers do the talking without any plying by marketers.
Squidoo is another example of the people taking over- creating content and spreading the word. If marketers are going to facilitate in the process, they must let consumers show them what they want, one way to do this is through sites like Squidoo where consumers educate each other on every topic imaginable.
In relation to the Audience Research class I did this blog assignment for, I’ve learned a lot about buzz marketing and media planning, buying and advertising, as well as blogging itself, as this is a great way to create and spread buzz. As I have discussed, buzz marketing is no longer just an afterthought in the media planning and buying process. Marketers see it as a viable way to get their message across and are willing to devote large amounts of their promotional budgets to spreading buzz about their products. I have also learned a lot about targeting the audience properly-sometimes websites and buzz programs work for certain audiences that would not work for others. It will be exciting to see where the world of buzz marketing goes in the future and how its success in getting people to buy will compare with that of traditional advertising.

VW Crash ads are no accident

When I first saw the VW crash commercial I thought “cool!” The ad, featuring what looks to be a real car crash as seen from inside the car, got my attention because of the unexpectedness of the crash and the realistic way it appears. That week I started asking friends and family if they had seen the commercials. I was surprised to hear some people don’t like them and are trying to get the spots pulled. They say the crashes are too real, too scary and are even calling the company to find out whether the actors were really in an accident. Some angry viewers are even saying they will not be scared into buying a VW.
No matter what they’re saying, it is evident that the commercial definitely has buzz power. People are talking, the best thing that can be done for a brand or product. Blogs across the internet are strewn with posts and comments regarding the spots, which started airing earlier this month. The ads are to promote the Volkswagen Jetta as a safe vehicle that can withstand crashes- the tagline for the ads is “Safe Happens.” While there have been many ad campaigns focusing on the safety of cars, they usually feature crash test results- not “real” crashes. This approach is meant to shock and it does just that. People can’t help but talk to others about the ads, discuss whether they are real or not and try to alleviate any discomfort the ads bring. This is an example of when a company doesn’t need to do anything extra to have word of mouth spread about a product, it just happens naturally. All VW had to do was make the commercial; they didn’t have to pay for the extra benefits brought on by the ad. This shocking ad campaign will stay with the company, even as they abandon it and move on to other creative ideas next month. Consumers will think of the realistic crashes when they see Jettas and will be looking to see if there are more of these ads. We have yet to see whether sales of the Jetta will increase as a result of the crash commercials.

Watch one of the ads

Read "CP+B, VW Try the Shock Treatment"

Carmex will no longer just rely on word of mouth

Carmex, the lip balm known for its bright yellow container, has been on the market for 70 years. While competitors have come on the scene with new flavors, styles and benefits, Carmex has only introduced one new flavor in its history. Carmex currently holds about an 8 percent annual growth rate and is the third largest selling lip balm (behind ChapStick and Blistex) in the country. All this without any advertising. How does Carmex do it?
It turns out that much of Carmex’s success is owed to word of mouth, doctor recommendations and the image of the brand’s heritage in the minds of consumers.
The bigger question turns out to be why, after 70 years of such success, would Carma Laboratories, the makers of Carmex, finally decide to start advertising its products?
The company hopes to gain even more market share by advertising its new introduction of lip balm flavors. The flavor that will be introduced is up to the consumers, anyone can now go on their website and pick which flavor they would like to see added to the Carmex line.
The company recently added their first and only sales manager and with industry sales growing they are hoping that advertising has been the last thing keeping them from getting to a 10 percent growth rate.
As the lip balm industry continues to grow, Carmex hopes to expand in the coming years with new lines of lip balms for men, women and children. They also hope to expand into more countries overseas.
Since the family that makes Carmex already describes the lip balm as iconic, my question is why have they decided to start advertising? Does an already established icon really need to be advertised? I wonder if this advertising will actually hurt the brand, as older, loyal consumers perceive their favorite brand as changing or perhaps giving in to becoming trendy with new fruity flavors.
I also wonder if the flavors will take off and actually increase Carmex’s market share. The company saw little success with the only introduction to their lip balm line in 2002- the mint flavored Click Stick.
Since the company has become so successful due to consumers touting their products, I think Carma Laboratories should team up with a buzz marketing firm first to try to capitalize on already established trends/word of mouth before going to full on advertising. It seems natural that the people already using and talking about the product would be the ones to tell friends about a new line of Carmex lip balms.

Read "Carmex to launch new lines of lip balm"

Squidoo

Here is another development in the world of consumer generated content and word of mouth marketing. Squidoo- an online community, social software tool created by Seth Godin that is made up of consumer generated content. A “lensmaster” creates a lens about something he or she is an expert in and tags are used to represent the different lenses. Lenses are made up of modules, including links, related books on Amazon and related pictures on Flickr.
A quote taken from the site describes it succinctly like this: “Squidoo makes it easy for you to create, share and discover meaning online. It's a co-op of everyday experts, called lensmasters, who build lenses on topics they care about. What's your topic?”
This allows users to teach and inform other users on everything from mandarin Chinese to how to build a cardboard castle, obviously a great tool for word of mouth, no matter what the subject. So it wasn’t long before buzz marketing firm Bzzagent got in on things, partnering up with Squidoo to sign up bzzagents to become lensmasters. These bzzagents can use their lenses to talk about anything, but they are directed to talk about their favorite brand, product and/or service, or even talk about BzzAgent itself.
Lensmasters have the option of earning money or having proceeds go to charities. This is becoming increasingly popular as bloggers have the option of earning revenues from ads placed on their sites by Google. Not only are consumers getting to generate their own websites, commercials and products, but now they can team up with advertisers and make money.
This brings up the worry that the consumers will take over everything, eventually doing away with the need for advertising creatives altogether!
(Read about all the jobs that won’t exist in ten years)

Tapping into the mom market

Buzz marketers are targeting what may seem to some as an unusual audience: moms. Buzz marketing is seen as new, hip and evolving in the world of marketing, something that moms aren’t. But seeing that there are more than 60 million moms in this country and that their lives are naturally conducive to spreading the word-schools, PTAs, play groups, marketers just may have found their newest goldmine.
Vocalpoint is a new buzz marketing program developed by Proctor and Gamble for moms. Proctor and Gamble modeled this new program after Tremor, their successful buzz marketing program for teens introduced in 2001. Both Vocalpoint and Tremor provide their word of mouth marketing services to brands outside the P&G name but Vocalpoint is a common sense development as most of the products offered by P&G appeal to mothers, allowing P&G to concentrate on promoting their own products.
Recent clients using Vocalpoint have been Crest Whitestrips and the Discovery television network. WD-40 is the newest client using Vocalpoint to promote their product to a new target-women. WD-40 hasn’t used much advertising in the past because the product is already widely used and in most homes across the country. What advertising they did use focused on getting existing users to use the product in different ways. WD-40 is providing Vocalpoint mothers with over 300 uses for their no-mess pen hoping they will spread the ideas.
When I first heard of Vocalpoint a few weeks ago I kind of laughed, thinking that mothers weren’t really the best target for a buzz marketing campaign. But after looking at the website I realized that maybe they are the best target. Mothers of school age children are always interacting with other mothers through their children’s schools and the like. And moms are always looking for new products to make their mothering jobs easier
So this is a good idea, capitalizing on what moms are already doing. I wonder what the moms think about the program. What do they think about buzz marketing and word of mouth marketing? With so many parental groups trying to regulate marketing to children, I wonder would they approve of their own children being involved in a similar program, such as Tremor, where marketers gather important data such as location, birthday, favorite shows, etc?
I also find it interesting that brands like WD-40 who did little advertising to begin with are now using buzz marketing tactics to promote their brands. They must believe in the power of word of mouth, especially over traditional advertising. Although this is an online program, companies are relying on the idea that the mothers will go out and spread the word verbally, not just pass on an email. This is an instance where new technologies aren’t being used to promote brands, just old-fashioned talking.

Read "P&G provides product launchpad, a buzz network of moms"

"Superfans" create spark for M80

Marketing firm M80 is different than other word of mouth promotion firms in that it targets people who are already big fans of a product to do the promoting. People who are already telling everyone about a certain band or show are the ones they want, whereas the campaigns of firms like BzzAgent rely on everyday people talking about a product that has been assigned. M80 “superfans,” as they are called,have passion for the product. All creator Dave Neupert had to do was teach these fans how to sell.
Members also enjoy the aspect of being able to influence show creators and music executives. Members who were fans of Family Guy were partly responsible for the show being “un-canceled” after creators realized fans really weren’t ready for the show to end. This was discovered because the superfans, while being asked to promote the DVD release of the show, were able to talk amongst themselves not only on the M80 site, but in chat rooms and on message boards devoted to the show. Because M80 promotes mainly television shows, movies and music it is easy for members to find places to spread the word and connect with other fans just like themselves.
Creator Dave Neupert realizes there are probably going to be obstacles to overcome in the near future as more and more companies use buzz marketing firms like M80 to promote their products. He might be faced with the challenge of trying to get people who are huge fans of seemingly boring products such as toothpaste of cleaning supplies. The challenge will be to see if he can keep the operation running as it is now, finding current fans, and not just individuals who are willing to promote the products for free stuff. How long will this new trend in promotion continue to be new? It seems like before long everyone will be using it and it will become part of the long list of advertising devices, just another way to add to the clutter encountered by consumers. I believe the trick is to continue to do what M80 has done and seek out the real fans, the real influencers who are already doing marketers’ jobs for them.
I found the idea and the member website very interesting. I like the idea that people are signing up to promote stuff that they really care about and are already buzzing about. It seems much more natural than the other buzz marketing systems I’ve seen.

Read "Taking the Fans' Word for it."

Take 5 takes two

As I mentioned here before, Hershey has decided to go with word of mouth marketing firm BzzAgent to promote their new Candy bar, Take 5. On Monday they launched the new campaign.
It seems the candy company wanted a more exciting launch than the one they had in 2005 for Take 5, which included $17 million in traditional television advertising.
The new buzz campaign relies on 69,000 people (who have been provided with the candy bar) talking about it. The new campaign also has a strong viral component with a website entitled thegreatestcandybarever.com. Visitors to the site can play a game and even design their own commercial for the Take 5 candy bar, the newest rage in consumer generated content.
This is part of Hershey’s effort to reach their target more effectively (18-34) using more than just the traditional media outlets like in the past. Hershey found that consumers liked Take 5 but thought that the promotion touting the bar’s five ingredients was confusing. This new buzz campaign will focus on the taste and spread the word by spreading samples. Hershey hopes this will provide for “a more aggressive, focused and targeted effort rather than just an ad campaign.”
It will be interesting to see if the Re-launch of Take 5 will be more successful than the initial introduction and if so what factors most contribute to the success. I think people will pay more attention to the product and actually try it since there will be so many free samples floating around. It also seems that Hershey will benefit from the combination of “new” forms of promotion being used in this campaign. Not only are they using buzz marketing but they have also thrown in a large amount of interactivity with their target audience through games, contests and a promotion giving consumers a chance to make a commercial.
I think this will be a more common theme in the future- giving up traditional advertising in print and on television for experiential marketing, buzz marketing and consumer generated content.

Read "Hershey Lurches Away from TV Ads"